He joined his first band, The Legends, at the age of 13, with his brother Dave. Hartman played keyboards and wrote much of the band's music. The band released several records but none were hits. He joined The Edgar Winter Group and played on three of their albums; Dan wrote the band's second biggest pop hit Free Ride in 1972. He launched a solo career in 1976.
In 1978 Hartman reached number-one on the Dance chart with the single "Instant Replay", which crossed over to #29 on Billboard's Hot 100; musicians Hartman worked with on the associated album include Vinnie Vincent and G.E. Smith. This was followed by his second chart topper on the Dance charts with "Relight My Fire" (1979). Both tracks are considered by many to be anthems of the disco era. There was also a cover version of Instant Replay which was a one-hit wonder for a boy duo called Yell! (Paul Varney and Daniel James) in January 1990.
He was back in the charts yet again with the top-10 single "I Can Dream About You" from the Streets of Fire soundtrack in 1984. Hartman was not featured in the video for the track, which received heavy rotation on MTV; instead, his vocals were convincingly lip-synched by Stoney Jackson,an African-American actor. Hartman then scored a third number 1 single on the Dance charts, "We Are The Young." During the next decade he worked as a songwriter and producer, and collaborated with such artists as Tina Turner, Dusty Springfield, Joe Cocker, Bonnie Tyler, Paul Young, James Brown, Nona Hendryx and Steve Winwood.
He died at age 43 in Westport, Connecticut from a brain tumor caused by AIDS. At the time of his death, Hartman's music was enjoying a revival; a cover version of his song "Relight My Fire" became a British number-one hit for Take That and Lulu. Sales of Hartman's solo recordings, group efforts, production, songwriting and compilation inclusions exceed 50 million records worldwide.
More information can be found at www.danhartman.com
I Can Dream About You
Dan Hartman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Each tear that falls from my eyes
I'm not hiding
The remedy to cure this old heart of mine
I can dream about you
If I can't hold you tonight
I can dream about you
I can dream about you
If I can't hold you tonight
I can dream about you
You know how to hold me just right
Moving sidewalks
I don't see under my feet
Climbing up from
Down here below where the streets sees me lonely for you
I can dream about you
If I can't hold you tonight
I can dream about you
You know how to hold me just right
I can dream about you
I'm gonna press my lips against you and hold you to me
I can dream about you
You know you got me spellbound what else can it be
Moving sidewalks
I don't see under my feet
Climbing up from
The pain in my heart 'cause it's you that I need
I can dream!
I can dream!
Yes, I can dream!
I don't understand it
I can't keep my mind off loving you (not even for a minute)
Ooh, now baby, I'm caught up in the magic I see in you
There's one thing to do
I can dream about you
If I can't hold you tonight
I can dream about you
You know how to hold me just right
I can dream about you
If I can't hold you tonight
I can dream about you
I can dream
I can dream
I can dream about you
I can dream about you
I can dream about you
Dan Hartman's song "I Can Dream About You" is about a man who is pained by his separation from his lover. He mentions that there is no more timing for him and each tear that falls from his eyes is a reminder of how he misses his lover. The man is no longer hiding from the pain he feels and he wants to cure his heart using the remedy of dreaming about his beloved. The song talks about the power of dreams and how, through them, we can escape from our misery. Dan Hartman also mentions that his lover knows how to hold him just right and that he can dream about her if he can't hold her tonight.
The moving sidewalks in the lyrics are a metaphor for the man's journey towards his beloved. He is climbing up from the pain in his heart and from the lonely place that he is in. He dreams about his lover as he walks on the moving sidewalks, which he cannot see under his feet. Dan Hartman also mentions that he will press his lips against his lover and hold her to him. He is spellbound by his lover and cannot keep his mind off loving her.
The song talks about the magic that the man sees in his lover and how he is caught up in it. He knows that the one thing to do is to dream about her if he can't hold her tonight. The song ends with Dan Hartman saying that he can dream about her multiple times, emphasizing the power of dreams to make us travel to faraway places and bring us moments of joy.
Line by Line Meaning
No more timing
I don't need to wait for the right time anymore
Each tear that falls from my eyes
Every tear that I cry
I'm not hiding
I'm not concealing my feelings anymore
The remedy to cure this old heart of mine
I need something to heal my broken heart
I can dream about you
Even if I can't be with you, I can still imagine being with you
If I can't hold you tonight
If I can't physically be with you
You know how to hold me just right
You know how to make me feel loved and cared for
Moving sidewalks
The world is constantly moving around me
I don't see under my feet
I don't always know where I'm going
Climbing up from
Trying to rise above
Down here below where the streets sees me lonely for you
Feeling lonely for you while I'm down here on the streets
I'm gonna press my lips against you and hold you to me
I want to kiss you and hold you close to me
You know you got me spellbound what else can it be
You have me under your spell, I can't resist you
The pain in my heart 'cause it's you that I need
My heart hurts because I need you so much
Yes, I can dream!
I can dream of being with you
I don't understand it
I can't explain my feelings
I can't keep my mind off loving you (not even for a minute)
I think about loving you all the time
Ooh, now baby, I'm caught up in the magic I see in you
I'm enchanted by the magic I see in you
There's one thing to do
There's only one thing I can do
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAN HARTMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind